


This Isn't Awkward At All

by EHC



Series: AU ideas [20]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Joyce does not, William Price Lives (Life Is Strange)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29945403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EHC/pseuds/EHC
Summary: Based on the prompt byTangent101: Did anyone ever write a fanfic in which Joyce was the parent who died instead of William?
Relationships: Rachel Amber/Chloe Price
Series: AU ideas [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1596307
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	This Isn't Awkward At All

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally [posted on my Tumblr page](https://ehc-on-ao3.tumblr.com/post/183765007061/i-must-admit-some-curiosity) a couple of years ago but I only just realized I never shared it here. So, here it is, with a few other minor tweaks that reflect my changing views.

Okay, so Joyce dies instead of William. Chloe and William both are devastated by the loss. Max moves away.

A year later, William is recovering and maybe a bit overprotective of Chloe. Chloe is angry and her grades slip but not as badly as before. Life isn’t as shit for Chloe since her relationship with her father was always just a bit stronger than with her mother and together, they pull through. Chloe still has a punk vibe going, though (seriously, that’s never going away) but maintains her grades and is still a student at Blackwell.

Chloe starts wondering what’s up with her dad. Apparently, he’s run into someone. A woman. He finds her interesting, intriguing. He asks Chloe if it’s okay if he sees her. Chloe’s not sure what to think, honestly (who the heck thinks of her parents as date material?) but when she meets this woman face to face, she has to admit that she’s not lame. Got a bit of edge to her, like she’s seen some shit. While they don’t quite hit it off, there's at least respect there.

While all this is going on, Chloe runs into Rachel. Insert stuff here. They do hit it off and become friends and eventually, start talking about all the crap in their respective lives. Rachel talks about how she caught her father kissing another woman but, when she confronted him about it, discovered that the other woman is her biological mother. She doesn't know what to think now. Chloe says she doesn't want to presume, but considering that she lost her mom when she was younger, quietly gives the opinion that Rachel should at least hear her biological mom's side of things, as it would be better than never having the chance at all. Rachel takes this into consideration, then visibly relaxes. She hadn't considered that angle and thanks Chloe for talking sense into her. She also apologizes for churning up bad memories.

Chloe, in turn, admits she’s not sure how she feels about her dad dating again but admits that maybe he deserves a shot at being happy again and moving on. Neither he nor she will forget Joyce, certainly, but it's probably not a good idea to stay locked in an unhappy past. Plus, he's not the type to rush into things and is taking things slow, even wanting Chloe to meet her before he really started dating for real. He’s cool that way.

Time passes. Eventually, Chloe invites Rachel over for dinner. Fair warning: dad’s girlfriend might be over, too. Kinda depends on their schedules as they’re all wonky. When they get to Chloe's place, dad's not back yet so they'll have to hang out for a bit. Rachel's fine with this, of course. She's starting to fall for Chloe and the feeling's mutual, so having a chance to hang out (and perhaps do something a bit more)? Definitely worse ways to spend an afternoon!

When William comes home, he goes upstairs to greet Chloe, only to blink at the stranger that's there. Rachel cranks up the charm and introduces herself, wanting to deflect William's attention from what she and Chloe were doing a minute ago (which doesn't work; William's way more perceptive than that but at least he's kind enough to not mention Chloe's shirt is inside out). He tells them dinner will be ready in a half-hour and invites Rachel to join them. Rachel accepts.

30 minutes later, Chloe and Rachel stomp down the stairs, ready for a dinner of tacos and burritos. And that's when Rachel gets to see William’s girlfriend for the first time: Sera Gearhardt.

* * *

So, that's the original idea, with a couple of tweaks to account for my differing tastes between the time I originally posted this and present day. No plans on taking this one further but, as you might tell by the overall tone, this is a lighter take on Chloe and Rachel's past. If I wanted to crank up the ridiculousness, imagine William and Sera marrying. And now image the potential awkwardness of Rachel and Chloe dating when they're now technically step-sisters. Blackwell kids certainly would tease them (I imagine what Victoria & Co might say to that relationship) but perhaps Rachel would just ham it the fuck up and start calling Chloe "sis" in public, right before grabbing her ass and kissing the shit out of her. Everyone in the know would just roll their eyes but anyone out of the loop would be like O.o

As always, permission is granted to anyone who'd like a crack at this idea, turn it into a full-blown story.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Tangent101 for sharing this idea!
> 
> I don't have any plans on expanding this further. And while it could be interesting to imagine the events in Before the Storm using the above changes, I don't have it in me to take things in that direction. Though I will admit to having a mental image of a confrontation with Damon playing out completely different, and it's William who winds up getting stabbed in the arm and not Rachel. Might also be amusing to have James convinced he managed to prevent Rachel from meeting Sera, not realizing for a long time that Sera's right here in Arcadia Bay, with her daughter visiting her almost daily.


End file.
